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Small Miracles: Strange Invisible Perfumes Zodiac Collection – Virgo

My posts tend to be rather long (I do ramble on, don’t I?), so in this series of short posts I am going to highlight some of my favorite products that pack a strong punch despite their smaller size.

If you have read my previous Small Miracles posts, you might have noticed that the products I highlight in them tend to be ones that I consider to have universal appeal: so far I have featured a multi-use healing balm and a calming face oil in a portable vial. The selection in this post, however, is pretty much the exact opposite. In fact, perfume is so personal and individual that I am always aghast at the idea of giving scent as a present to anyone, but a person you know exceptionally well (and even then it might be better to ask them what they prefer or have a snoop around their vanity).

This personal nature of perfume is also why I thought that although the concept behind the Strange Invisible Perfumes of the Zodiac collection was a nifty one it was also, to put it bluntly, bonkers. For someone like myself, who is both somewhat schizophrenic in her taste when it comes to perfume and incredibly picky and hard to please, the idea that a scent could be crafted as a match to my zodiac sign seemed impossible. Or, rather, the idea was great, it’s just that the probability of its succeeding was close to nil. Granted, I am a huge fan of Alexandra Balahoutis, the genius perfumer behind Strange Invisible (look for my review of the full SI lineup, as well as an interview with Alexandra towards the end of May), but I thought that this was a reach even for her.

It turns out that I was not only wrong, but completely, totally and utterly wrong. I did not only like the scent, it actually became my daily favorite and an everyday staple. So much so that I was unable to photograph the bottle’s packaging, so beat up it has gotten inside my purse, getting lugged around from SoulCycle to Happy Hour on a daily basis. The crazy thing is that, based on the description of the scent notes, it should not have resonated with me at all. But there it was, all spicy and tart, both refreshing and dirty, adventurous and fun, feminine, but not girlie. I’m not saying that’s totally me, but you are welcome to draw your own conclusions (insert dancing girl emoji here). And by the way, lest you be confused by the accompanying image, iris is not one of the scent notes (those would be neroli, rose, temple mandarin and palo santo), but I couldn’t find orange blossoms to photograph and having a rose in a picture of a fragrance seemed horrifically cliched. Yes, I am nitpicky and slightly compulsive. Not like a Virgo at all.

Now, all of this doesn’t change the fact that perfume is incredibly individual and something that smells like heaven to me might not work for you at all. I should also mention that although I find it endlessly delightful, Virgo is not an unchallenging scent, though I don’t know if the other 11 scents in the collection share its complexity. Still, the way it resonated with me is nothing short of miraculous and I’d suggest giving your own sign a try (SI sells samples of all their perfumes). The Zodiac collection is also the brand’s more affordable line and a great way to experience the alchemic skill of its creator. And think of it: when people ask you about your perfume, you can casually throw off an “Oh this? It was made just for me.”

[…] my conventional favorites. And then I discovered Strange Invisible Perfumes. You already know that I am in love with SI’s Virgo perfume from its brilliant Zodiac collection and its Signature Collection […]